tub

[ tuhb ]
See synonyms for tub on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a broad, round, open, wooden container, usually made of staves held together by hoops and fitted around a flat bottom.

  1. any of various containers resembling or suggesting a tub: a tub for washing clothes.

  2. the amount a tub will hold.

  3. Informal. a short and fat person.

  4. Nautical. an old, slow, or clumsy vessel.

  5. British Informal. a bath in a bathtub.

  6. Mining. an ore car; tram.

  7. Military Slang. a two-seat aircraft, especially a trainer.

verb (used with object),tubbed, tub·bing.
  1. to place or keep in a tub.

  2. British Informal. to bathe in a bathtub.

verb (used without object),tubbed, tub·bing.
  1. British Informal. to bathe oneself in a bathtub.

  2. Informal. to undergo washing, especially without damage, as a fabric: This cotton print tubs well.

Origin of tub

1
1350–1400; Middle English tubbe (noun) <Middle Dutch tobbe; cognate with Middle Low German tubbe,tobbe

Other words from tub

  • tub·ba·ble, adjective
  • tubber, noun
  • tublike, adjective
  • un·der·tub, noun
  • un·tubbed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for tub

tub

/ (tʌb) /


noun
  1. a low wide open container, typically round, originally one made of wood and used esp for washing: now made of wood, plastic, metal, etc, and used in a variety of domestic and industrial situations

  2. a small plastic or cardboard container of similar shape for ice cream, margarine, etc

  1. Also called: bathtub another word (esp US and Canadian) for bath 1 (def. 1)

  2. Also called: tubful the amount a tub will hold

  3. a clumsy slow boat or ship

  4. informal (in rowing) a heavy wide boat used for training novice oarsmen

  5. Also called: tram, hutch

    • a small vehicle on rails for carrying loads in a mine

    • a container for lifting coal or ore up a mine shaft; skip

verbtubs, tubbing or tubbed
  1. British informal to wash (oneself or another) in a tub

  2. (tr) to keep or put in a tub

Origin of tub

1
C14: from Middle Dutch tubbe

Derived forms of tub

  • tubbable, adjective
  • tubber, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012